European Kingdoms

Iberia

County of BarcelonaAD 717 - 1162

Barcelona began life as a Frankish
march county from territory conquered from Islam. One of the most important
of the early Christian states that was opposed to the
Umayyads in Iberia, it was only
a little younger than the other powerful Catalan county, that of Urgel
which also controlled the early
Andorran territories. It was nominally under the domination of the Franks,
but in fact remained more or less independent, especially after the end of the
Carolingians.

Having been appointed count of the newly captured territories of Urgel
(which includes the Andorrans) and
Cerdanya, Borrell is an important part of the conquest of Osona in 799 and
Barcelona in 801. The latter victory follows a siege of the city. He is
awarded the county of Osona, possibly in thanks for his contribution towards
the reconquest of occupied Iberia and the extension of Aquitaine's Marca
Hispania or Spanish March (a march being a
Germanic word for
borderlands).

801 - 820

Bera

820 - ?

Rampon

Gained Osona (820).

820

Following the death of Borrell, his county of Osona is granted to Rampon, count of Barcelona,
while Urgel (with the Andorrans) and Cerdanya pass to the Basque noble, Aznar I Galíndez of
Aragon, following his
overthrow and exile from that county.

827 - 829

Bernard
of Septimania

c.830 - 835

Berenguer

835 - 844

Bernard of Septimania

Executed by Charles the Bald.

840 - 843

Before his death, Louis of the
Franks
proclaims that his eldest son, Lothar, will be sole beneficiary of the
imperial dignity and sole inheritor of the empire. The new idea provokes
rebellions and rivalries between all four of Louis' sons which last until
after the king's death. (One of the sons, Pepin I of
Aquitaine,
has already predeceased his father.)

Lothar initially claims overlordship over all three regions and Louis and
Charles have to go to war to convince him to relent. The counties of the
Spanish March all take sides during this period, with the powerful Bernard
of Septimania, count of Barcelona (along with a large number of other marches
and counties, including Agde,
Béziers,
Girona,
Melgueil,
Narbonne,
Nîmes,
Septimania, and
Toulouse, capital of Aquitaine) siding with Pepin II of Aquitaine. Opposing
them in favour of Charles are Sunifred, count of Urgel and Cerdanya (and
master of the Andorrans),
his brother Sunyer I, count of
Empúries, and their sons
(who collectively are sometimes referred to as the Bellonid dynasty or the
Bellonids).

Lothar does relent in 843, and the Treaty of Verdun confirms the official
division of the empire between Charlemagne's surviving three grandsons, with
rule over the empire as a whole being nominal.

841 - 844

Taking advantage of the chaos in the
Frankish empire,
the Umayyads invade Barcelona
and penetrate Cerdanya as they attack Narbonne. Sunifred, count of Urgel
and Cerdanya (and master of the
Andorrans), stops the invasion
dead in its tracks. When, in 844, Charles the Bald captures Toulouse and
Aquitaine
from Pepin II, he has Bernard of Septimania executed and grants Barcelona
and Girona - and also the march territory of Gothia - to Sunifred.

William of Septimania, son of the executed Bernard, had risen against Charles
the Bald in 844, but has largely been unable to reclaim his father's lands
until now. William is granted Toulouse and Empúries by Pepin II the rival
king of Aquitaine,
and he quickly removes both brothers, Sunifred in Barcelona and Sunyer in
Empúries,
although the former is known to die of natural causes.

Borell II, count of Barcelona, Girona, Ausona (from 940), and Urgel (from
948), grants the
Andorran valleys to the
diocese of Urgel in exchange for land in Cerdanya.

992 - 1018

Raymond Borel

1018 - 1035

Berengar Raymond I the Hunchback

1035 - 1076

Raymond Berengar I the Old

1076 - 1082

Raymond Berengar II Burlap-head

1076 - 1097

Berengar Raymond II the Fratricide

1086 - 1131

Raymond Berengar III the Great

1095

The bishop of Urgel is aware that the current count of Urgel desires the
return of Andorra to his
control, so support and protection are requested of the local lord of
Caboet. The bishop and the lord sign and seal a declaration of their
co-sovereignty over Andorra (it is unclear whether this lord is Guitard
or his successor, Guillem Guitard).

1131 - 1162

Raymond Berengar IV the Holy

1157

Casting aside Pellegrina de Lacon, Barisone of Arborea marries Agalbursa de
Cervera, Count Raymond's niece. The marriage is the seal on an alliance with
Barcelona, which also represents the first Iberian influence on the island
of
Sardinia. Barisone fights the Balearic
Almoravids
on behalf of Barcelona and Raymond Berengar supports his attempts to unite
Sardinia under his rule.